DraftKings NBA Picks February 11: WesTD flare up

MIAMI, FL – OCTOBER 28: Dion Waiters #11 of the Miami Heat drives on Jeremy Lamb #3 of the Charlotte Hornets during a game at American Airlines Arena on October 28, 2016 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Picks February 11: WesTD flare up

We have a big time nine game slate out there for our DraftKings NBA tournaments. There is a ton of high end talent available, so we need to be able to identify some value on this slate to succeed.

I went light yesterday because I knew I was going to be on the road all day. It was pretty rough. I was near the bottom thanks to Booker playing and me not swapping Oubre out.

riles72 took it down last night with a modest 331.5 DraftKings points. He built with KD, Bagley, and Hassan Whiteside and got massive value from Klay, Justise Winslow, D.J. Augustin, and Dion Waiters.

I get asked a lot why I chose one player over another in a certain tier, so I am switching things up a little. Instead of just putting the plays I like from each price tier, I’m going to put in more of my thought process in here instead of just telling you what to do. If you don’t think my logic is sound, then you can make your own choice.

Tonight I am likely going with creating multiple lineups for the $1 20 max. If you take that approach, the important thing is to use three or four different cores, then build around it. Get a list of players you like and fill mostly from those slots. Your lineups should have a fairly small player pool. The idea is to put in a bunch of different combinations.

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basketball parlay: PHOENIX, ARIZONA – JANUARY 24: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers handles the ball during the second half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on January 24, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Point Guards:

Best Bets:

Russ picked up his ninth straight triple double on Saturday, tying the great Wilt Chamberlain. In true Westbrook fashion, he did this with a quadruple double if you include turnovers. Westbrook has 120.25 DraftKings points against Portland this year in two games, but only one triple double. You can deduce that he has about a 50% chance of breaking the record.

I don’t care how hot Kemba Walker is. I just don’t play point guards against the Pacers. I’m not a huge fan of Luka Doncic against Chris Paul defense either. Damian Lillard is a much better bet considering he has 98.25 DraftKings points in two games against the Thunder. I’m taking Russ and running it back with Lillard in at least one lineup.

Honorable Mention:

Kyle Lowry is back on track, but he has really struggled against the Nets this year, only picking up 46.25 DraftKings points in 48 minutes. Two easy wins haven’t helped, but Lowry hasn’t been the reason they have been easy either.

Don’t go dismissing Chris Paul just because of the way Harden is playing. Harden has destroyed Dallas this year, and CP3 still put up 40 DraftKings points on the Mavs. I like him for the price. That said, if the Bulls can keep it close, Eric Bledsoe is going to be a far better value.

Dennis Smith Jr. is playing so well that I expect Fizdale to bench him anytime now. As long as that doesn’t happen against Cleveland, this is a monster spot for Smith. He has played at least 30 minutes in three straight games, though it is worth noting that his minutes have dropped by ten since the middle of last week.

I like Darren Collison, but the price seems a little steep to me. I think we’ll get more value out of a guy like Tomas Satoransky or Reggie Jackson for around the same price. The return of Ish Smith does make me nervous though. He and Reggie were almost splitting the minutes evenly before Ish got hurt.

Dark Horses:

This Timberwolves backcourt is so beaten up that I have to dedicate a rather lengthy paragraph just to sort it all out. Derrick Rose is closer to probable than questionable, but how much do we really trust this? Jeff Teague will play, but it appears as though his foot is still bugging him. Jerryd Bayless could play, but exactly how much? The only thing we know for sure is that Isaiah Canaan is the only truly healthy guard and that Tyus Jones is the only one that definitely wont play. I love the matchup, but hate all the uncertainty. The only way I touch this is if Canaan starts. Then I’ll use him and no one else.

Caris LeVert missed 42 games, but he came back and put up an impressive 29.5 DraftKings points in just 15 minutes! The going will be tougher against Toronto, but the minutes should increase as well. Don’t expect another 30, but LeVert might still hit value.

Jordan Clarkson torched the Knicks for 37.25 DraftKings points in the first meeting. With Burks gone, Clarkson is the go to scorer of the second unit, so it’s pretty easy to trust this. Collin Sexton is worth a look here too.

There is no way Cory Joseph should be this cheap. He has 75 DraftKings points over the last two games, and isn’t slowing down anytime soon. I could get on board with an Ish punt too, but only if Joseph is on your roster somewhere else.

My pick: Westbrook(PG), Joseph(G); Lillard(PG), Joseph(UTIL)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 23: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets celebrates the 114-110 over the New York Knicks at the end of the game at Madison Square Garden on January 23, 2019 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

Oh come on, James Harden isn’t questionable. He’s not taking a day off in the middle of this streak. Harden has destroyed Dallas for 134.75 DraftKings points in two games this year, and Chris Paul played in one of those. You could get fading Harden into my head on Saturday, and I only used him in two of 12 lineups. I will have far more exposure tonight, and am going to have a hard time fading him at all.

Bradley Beal has actually struggled against Detroit this year. However, with the way the Washington offense looks, this is still a pretty tough fade. D’Angelo Russell is cheaper, and he has blown up Toronto twice this year already. Russell has 89.75 DraftKings points in two games against Toronto.

Honorable Mention:

C.J. McCollum slowed down big time against Dallas, and despite the great matchup, McCollum hasn’t done great against the Thunder so far this year. There’s always a chance he could go for 30 again, but I think I would rather spend on Lillard.

The matchup on paper isn’t great, but Zach LaVine went for 39 DraftKings points on the Bucks the first time around. Dunn missed that game though, so I’m a little nervous here. This may be the time to chase after Andrew Wiggins or Khris Middleton instead.

Dark Horses:

Don’t be too fooled by Jeremy Lamb. He has exploded on Atlanta a couple of other times this year. This may be a chance to go with Malik Beasley instead if he is going to keep getting the minutes he is. Beasley’s down game against Philly is going to keep ownership low, but he should do much better against Miami.

Tim Hardaway Jr. had his best game as a Mav last night against Portland. It’s worth paying the $5,000 to see if he can do it again. Dennis Schroder gets a crack at the Portland team that THJ just torched last night. I kind of like Schroder here as well. I couldn’t argue with a Turd Ferguson punt either.

Joe Harris does nothing put drop 29’s. He is a cheaper Malcolm Brodgon, which is why he is on here and Brogdon isn’t. You could also chase Dion Waiters, but he has not had back to back good games yet.

Landry Shamet racked up 28 DraftKings points in his Clippers debut, and that was against a good Boston team. Now he gets a shot at a banged up Timberwolves backcourt. Allen Crabbe is another strong value pick.

My pick: Shamet(SG), Waiters(UTIL); Harris(SG), Shamet(G)

OAKLAND, CA – FEBRUARY 06: Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder slam dunks the ball and gets fouled by Zaza Pachulia #27 of the Golden State Warriors during the second half of their NBA basketball game at ORACLE Arena on February 6, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

Paul George has 117 DraftKings points in just two games against Portland already this year. I like both PG and Westbrook, and will have that as one of my cores tonight. To me, it’s no question to go George over Kawhi. However, if you want to fade Westbrook and Harden, I have no issue using both since Kawhi has 96 DraftKings points in two games against Brooklyn.

Honorable Mention:

The drop is steep at SF, but you can go with Middleton or Wiggins here too. However, if you are playing in this tier, Otto Porter and Bojan Bogdanovic look better. So does Jabari Parker with as well has he has played with Washington so far. His price isn’t too high for me yet.

Kevin Knox put up 32.25 DraftKings points in the first game against Cleveland this year. As with any Knick though, he’s hard to rely on. Nicolas Batum is a much safer option, even though he did struggle against Indiana the first time around.

Dark Horses:

Jake Layman is starting to steal some minutes from Al-Farouq Aminu, but Aminu has played well against the Thunder this year. His style fits against Oklahoma City better, so we should see a little bit of a resurgence from Aminu here.

Dorian-Finney Smith is getting a lot of the minutes vacated by Harrison Barnes. He isn’t the same player as Barnes, but DFS is still providing solid lines for DFS purposes.

The rest of the value tier is a complete crapshoot. On paper, Rodney Hood fits well in Portland, but his production has been plagued with the trademark inconsistency. David Nwaba is the same way. He torpedoed lineups yesterday, but this is the Knicks and there are plenty of minutes to go around.

My pick: George(SF), Parker(F); George(SF)

MILWAUKEE, WI – APRIL 20: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks dunks over Aron Baynes #46 of the Boston Celtics during the second half of game three of round one of the Eastern Conference playoffs at the Bradley Center on April 20, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Power Forwards:

Best Bets:

Giannis has 119 DraftKings points in 65 minutes against Chicago this year. That’s almost two fantasy points per minute! Blowout or not, I will have plenty of shares of Giannis tonight.

Blake Griffin is going to be of some value tonight. He has 96 DraftKings points in only 70 minutes against the Wizards. That’s not Giannis numbers, but there is so much value at guards that you can pair the two if you want.

Honorable Mention:

Lauri Markkanen has only been under 40 DraftKings points once in the last seven games, and he still had 36.75 in that game. Fade him if you want, but I still don’t trust the Milwaukee front. Markkanen should put up strong numbers once again.

This is a smash spot for Kenneth Faried against Dallas, and he still has not been under 30 or over 40 DraftKings points in his tenure in Houston. There is little risk here. Certainly less risk than with Montrezl Harrell or Siakam. Siakam does have good upside against Brooklyn though.

Don’t count on Bobby Portis slowing down anytime soon. His price is still way too low for what he has been doing in Washington. Imagine that! Someone going to Washington and actually making a difference!

This is one of the few times that I wont even play Mason Plumlee if Paul Millsap is out. That Miami front is legit. They even (somewhat) tamed Markkanen.

Dark Horses:

I still like Dwight Powell‘s playing time in Dallas. Same with Maxi Kleber. Neither of them have high upside, but they are both solid value plays for their price points.

Dario Saric remains a strong value play even if his minutes aren’t as consistent as we would like. Still, the smash value play is still Marquese Chriss. He is still just $3,100, and he has 39.25 DraftKings points over the last two games. That’s over 6x value.

My pick: Portis(PF); Giannis(PF); Chriss(F)

NEW ORLEANS, LA – FEBRUARY 17: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves shoots the ball against Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets in the second half of the 2017 BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge at Smoothie King Center on February 17, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA Centers:

Best Bets:

On paper, this is another bad matchup for Nikola Jokic, but he racked up an impressive 63.25 DraftKing points in the first game against the Heat. Still, Jokic remains just a contrarian pivot to Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns could put up a very large total against the Clippers.

If you want to use both Griffin and Drummond against the Washington front, I really don’t blame you. If you are only choosing one, I still think I go Griffin though. If you aren’t using any five figure guys though, you could pair the Detroit front with Beal and cover this entire game.